Tease Me If You Love Me
by Yemam2422
Summary: DL. Fluffy oneshot inspired by The Deep and You Only Die Once episodes.


Danny was glad Lindsay was coming over for dinner. When he went home, and it wasn't a night Lindsay was staying over, his apartment felt empty. Lonely. But he wouldn't admit that to her. Just like he would never admit that he liked how he could smell her fruity perfume on his sheets and refused to change them until it was absolutely necessary. Or how the only thoughts running through his mind during his scuba incident with Hawkes were about Lindsay. He'd teased Hawkes about his first kiss flashing before his eyes only because that's what had flashed before his. Not his first kiss with Jenny Maxwell under the school bleachers in the seventh grade but the only first-kiss that mattered – his first kiss with Lindsay.

That's why he'd brushed off her remark about Hawkes being lucky that he was there with him. The look on her face had been wide-eyed and earnest. She looked at him the way a woman looks at a man she finds fascinating, that she cares about. At those moments, when she looked at him like that, there was no doubt in his mind that she was the one. And that frightened him.

Before he'd met Lindsay he thought he had his life all figured out. Work, family, dating but moving on before it got too serious. He wasn't concerned about love or settling down. He never felt the urge to move things to the next level – whatever that meant - with any woman before. He never thought he wanted to be part of a couple but he liked how his name automatically went with hers now. He liked being Danny-and-Lindsay. Two separate people who were somehow one at the same time.

"I thought you were going to wine and dine me at one of New York's finest restaurants," Lindsay said as she let herself into his apartment and made her way into his kitchen.

"I thought about it."

"But from the look of things that's not what you decided on." Danny was surrounded by piles of dirty dishes, an assortment of fresh vegetables and boiling pots.

"Nope. I came up with a better idea. I'm cooking for you."

"I can see that," Lindsay dipped a spoon into one of the pots to sample the pasta sauce he was making. "Another one of your many talents, Mr. Messer."

Lindsay knew that both Danny's grandmother and mother had taught him to cook and while he didn't do it often or without a big mess, he did it well. Lindsay also knew that Danny knew his pasta sauce was Lindsay's absolute favorite.

"This isn't some nefarious scheme to get me into bed, Messer, is it? Or perhaps to get me to back down from my stance on the Mach 5?" she laughed.

"No. There's no way a car whose anti-theft system includes self-destructing can be beaten by the Mach 5. You're not winning this one."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a very confident man?"

"A very confident man who's making you dinner so you better be nice."

"You owe me a nice dinner. I overslept this morning thanks to you and got one of Mac's infamous subdued but stern scoldings on punctuality," Lindsay replied.

"How is that my fault?" Danny asked defensively.

"You're the one who wanted to watch both _Batman Begins_ and _Speed Racer X _last night."

"And you're the one who eagerly went along with it."

"It was the only way to prove the Mach 5's superiority over the Batmobile."

"Well, I'm still not convinced. And if I remember correctly we stopped watching the movies around eleven. It was you who got frisky afterwards and kept us up." No one would ever guess that underneath her country manners and cool professionalism was such a sensual and hot woman. But there was - and he liked it.

Lindsay's eyebrows rose but she wasn't totally surprised by his teasing. She loved his teasing. Mostly because it led to debates like the one they were in now, which they seemed to get into often. Their first major squabble had been over football. She cheered for the Redskins when they'd played his beloved Giants. What started off as friendly verbal-barring had turned into an impromptu wrestling match and within minutes they were tangled up in each other with their clothes off.

Then there was the now notorious Elvis-incident. Lindsay believed the Beatles were far superior to Elvis. Danny claimed as the king of rock n' roll no one would ever surpass the talent of Elvis Presley, especially four mop-headed English men. That one lasted for days, and even involved Danny switching the elevator music from Muzak to Elvis' greatest hits. Round and round they would go, each debate usually ending with them in bed, no clear winner ever determined.

"Actually, the way I remember things, you were the one who had to prove you were the expert on not only comic hero automobiles but on _everything_."

"I know it seems that way, Montana. It's a curse I've learned to live with, but I'm not an expert on everything. However, what we did last night I _am_ an expert on and will gladly demonstrate that again tonight."

Lindsay did her best to ignore Danny's impossible sexiness as he gave her one of his trademarked smirks, cool and completely confident, with a quick lick of his lips. At moments like this, it was tough to ignore that tingling in her stomach that crawled its way into her chest and warmed her completely.

They ate dinner and talked. Not about anything big. They talked about their day, their cases, the news. When they'd finished eating, she helped do the dishes.

"I can't cook to save my life, but I can dry a plate," Lindsay said. "Thanks for dinner. It was great."

"Well, I am the greatest, Montana."

Lindsay was about to retort but instead she stopped drying and looked at Danny. Lindsay knew he was. The greatest. Looking at him, surrounded by domesticity, emotions she didn't even see coming rushed to the surface, welling up in her chest, growing even bigger. She saw a man who thought it was important to open doors for her. A man who could make her worries disappear. A man who flew across the country for her. A man who gave her a sense of never-ending possibilities. A man…she loved.

As she stood there, Lindsay wondered if she was going to be able to manage not blurting out those words. _I love you_. The words practically begged to be said. But she wanted to wait until it was the right time. She wasn't sure when that would be but the middle of an upside down kitchen didn't seem right. So, she decided to wait a bit, but she knew a bit was all she could manage.

Instead she said in a teasing tone, "Yes, the greatest."

* * *

He was in love. The realization hit Danny much later when he lay in the dark with Lindsay sleeping beside him. He knew this because of the small moments that replayed vividly in his mind. Like the way her mouth curved when she was amused. The way she combed her fingers through her hair - a habit she'd picked up ever since she'd cut it. He loved the sound of her voice. He loved the hot, greedy stares she gave him when they were tangled together in bed. He loved the way she smiled over little things like breakfast in bed. He loved the way she looked in his old t-shirts. She was curled up beside him in one of his t-shirts now and he wrapped an arm around her and drew her close. Whether it was love or something else, Danny decided to simply enjoy it.

* * *

"I have a present for you." Danny handed Lindsay a box clumsily wrapped in a plain paper brown bag as he walked into their office and leaned against her desk.

"I love the wrap job," she teased as she opened it. "Oooh, Testinos." Lindsay immediately recognized the box from her favorite bakery on 86th. She pulled out a chocolate cupcake topped with strawberry frosting.

Danny would bring her gifts like this occasionally. The past year seemed filled with dramatic moments between she and Danny – hostage situations, standing him up, unexpected red eye flights to Montana – but dating Danny wasn't filled with those milestone moments, rather little ones. Trips to Coney Island, walks in Central Park, evenings at jazz clubs. She didn't need grand gestures or big moments. For her, it was the little ones that mattered most. Like a cupcake from her favorite bakery.

"I thought you might like it. I have to run to a scene but wanted to give that to you before it got crazy around here." Danny stood up to leave the office.

Before he did, Lindsay stood on her tip-toes and kissed him. "Thanks. I love it, and I love you, too."

Danny froze. He couldn't have been more shocked if Lindsay had poured her bottle of water over his head. He managed to recover in the only way he knew how – to tease Lindsay. "I noticed the cupcake took first place."

Lindsay hadn't expected to fall in love. But she had. She hadn't expected to blurt it out like that, but she had. She'd found the perfect man. Even though he preferred the Batmobile and Elvis.

"Well, I have loved them longer than you but not more."

"Makes sense," he said, laughing at her logic. Lindsay smiled at him and was about to walk past him out of the office when Danny grabbed her elbow to stop her. "Lindsay, I love you too."

Lindsay stepped into Danny to give him another quick kiss. In the spirit of their ever competitive banter she said, "Just remember who said it first."

* * *

**A/N**: Huge thanks to **mel60** for the beta help. Thanks for reading! 


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